Bye Jimmy Kimmel noted his contract extension with Disney During Monday night's broadcast of Jimmy Kimmel Live, he also took a jab at the president Donald Trump for the work he did as host of Sunday's Kennedy Center Honors.
At Saturday's Kennedy Center Honors event, Trump called Kimmel a “terrible” TV host. Kimmel responded to Monday's monologue with his own criticism.
“I thought we were friends. I'm starting to think he has a crush on me,” Kimmel joked, pointing to Trump's weekend events at the Kennedy Center and the 2026 World Cup draw, also in Washington.
“He bragged about hosting, saying, 'We've never had a president host the Kennedy Center Honors before,' and, yeah, why do you think that is?” Kimmel asked during his monologue. “We have also never heard of Neil Patrick Harris ordering a military strike on a fishing boat before.”
Later in his monologue, Kimmel told the crowd that he had extended his contract to host “Jimmy Kimmel Live” until May 2027, “or the end of the world, whichever comes first,” he told the crowd at the El Capitan Theater in Hollywood.
“I've thought a lot and decided that I would like to spend less time with my family, as well as with our audience here and at home: I'm honored to be a part of your routine. Whether it's in bed at night or… during the morning toilet,” Kimmel said. “It means a lot to me to have your attention – and to work with this wonderful group of people for another year.”
Kimmel renewed his contract with Disney early Monday morning and will remain as host. ABCNight program until 2027. His current contract is expected to expire in 2026.
Kimmel confirmed the extension in Instagram post on Monday afternoon, writing, “I'm happy to announce another year of no talent!” “No talent” is Trump's favorite phrase when lashing out at late-night hosts who criticize him on air.
Kimmel's relationship with Trump is rocky, to say the least. The president routinely attacks Kimmel on Truth Social, often after the late-night host attacks him on air. In November, Kimmel said during a Tuesday night broadcast that Trump “…loses his mindevery time a reporter asks about his connection to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. posted in Truth Social“Why does ABC Fake News keep Jimmy Kimmel on the air, a man with no talent and VERY BAD TV RATINGS?”
Kimmel's relationship with ABC hasn't been the smoothest either. In September the network pulled out “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” off air within days of Nexstar and Sinclair, two owners of the country's largest television stations, complaining about on-air comments by an anchor about Charlie Kirk, a young conservative activist who killed.
